Members of the public look at police tape sealing off St John's Road RBS branch after yesterday's raid. (Image: Alan Simpson photography)

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A BRAZEN robber hired a taxi and asked the driver to wait outside while he plundered thousands of pounds from a bank.

He struck at a Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh yesterday morning, threatening a member of staff before making off with a load of cash stuffed in an orange Tesco bag.

The man jumped into the black Hack outside the RBS in St John’s Road in the west of the capital after the 9.30am raid.

Yesterday, Police Scotland said they have no reason to believe the cab driver was involved in the robbery.

They believe he was innocently going about his work but insist they need to trace him as soon as possible.

The man suspected of carrying out the raid is described as white, in his late 20s to early 30s and 6ft 4in.

He was wearing a black beanie hat, dark-coloured waist-length jacket and brown trousers. Detective Inspector Rory Hamilton said last night: “At no time was any weapon used or seen by staff or customers within the bank.

“However, the suspect was still able to make off with thousands of pounds and we are keen to hear from anyone who can help us in tracing this individual. Anyone who was on St John’s Road at around 9.30am on Monday and remembers seeing anything suspicious is asked to contact police immediately.

“We believe the male may have arrived and departed from the scene in the same black cab and we are in the process of speaking to the city’s taxi companies as part of our investigation. Any drivers who believe they may have taken this man to and from the bank is also asked to get in touch.”

An Edinburgh black hackney cab like the one used by the robber (Image: Capital Press Agency)

A police source said: “At this moment we believe the suspect arrived at the scene in the black taxi and left the scene in the same vehicle.

“The cab driver may be totally innocent but we need to trace the cab involved and that is why we are contacting taxi companies.

“It would not be unusual for a taxi driver to be asked to wait outside a bank.”

It is understood detectives are also trawling the area for CCTV images. Some taxis also have on-board cameras but it is not known if the one used in the robbery has cameras.

Anyone with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.